Right about 7:35 p.m. -- with 13:22 remaining in the third quarter -- half of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome went dark.

The NFL issued the following statement after power had been restored: "Stadium authorities are investigating the cause of the power outage. We will have more information as it becomes available."

The power outage stopped the game in its tracks, confounding broadcasters, players and coaches. The remaining lights provided enough illumination to alleviate any safety concerns, but the incident set the Twitter world afire.

"Someone at the Superdome ran the microwave at the same time as the vacuum," Trevor Moore tweeted.

"The superdome should do what enterprising people have been doing for years. Hook that extension cord up to a neighbors house or street lamp," ESPN's Stan Verrett added.

Officials and coaches huddled as crews worked to re-establish power.

An Entergy New Orleans spokesperson told WDSU-TV the issue was not one related to the company. Philip Allison said service to the stadium was operating as normal, and any problem appeared to be internal.

The company also posted the following message via Twitter: We are working with Superdome officials to troubleshoot the issue. Power is being provided to the building.

The Baltimore Ravens led the San Francisco 49ers 28-6 at the time of the outage.